Healthy Kids

Family Mealtimes

Meals together with your family can be magical. They can be full of conversation and fun. They are important times to reconnect with each other after a day apart. However, this kind of mealtime can feel very hard to achieve. Too often, worries about what the kids are eating make the parents nag. Everyone may be tired and cranky, leading to bickering rather than sharing. Let’s see if we can help your meals become the valuable experience they should be.

Dial back worrying about what your child eats. As a parent your job is to offer healthy food choices. His job is to chose which foods and how much to eat. Think of your child’s nutrition averaged over a month; if the choices are healthy then eventually his diet will be well rounded. It may also help you relax to give him a children's multivitamin each day.

If you’re worried about his weight, ask your doctor if there is reason to worry. If the doctor feels that your child’s weight is healthy, you may be able to let go of your dinner-time concern. And remember, kids who regularly eat together with their families are less likely to become overweight.

Schedule activities around dinner when possible. Busy family schedules can get in the way of eating together as a family, but try to make this togetherness a priority. Or, consider eating at creative times: early before soccer practice or late afterwards (with a bigger afternoon snack). 

Tell your child your stories, talk about your life. Answer his questions. Problem solve together. All of this works best if you are animated, interested, and excited to be talking together.

Teach your children that dinners are meant for sharing the day’s experiences. Start by turning off the TV. Ask about your child’s day and encourage him to ask about yours. If it’s hard to get the conversation going, try the Two True, One False game:

• One person at the table tells, in detail, 2 true experiences from his day and 1 false. Everyone else gets to guess which one is false. Keep taking turns. Without even noticing, everyone will have told you lots about his day.

Play other games to encourage conversation and have fun:

• Would You Rather This or That? This is a game of choices. For example, ask if your child would rather be rich but lonely, or poor and surrounded by love? You will learn who your child is becoming and sneak in a discussion about values and morals.
• Goober Goat. One person says the name of anything found on a farm. The next person says the first word that comes to mind (maybe you start with pig and the next person says ham). You cannot criticize his choice, but you can ask him to explain the connection. These connections and explanations give you quite a fun view of your child’s mind and personality.

The stories, games, and values that you share at dinner will last throughout your child’s life and give your whole family a lifetime of warm memories. Bon appétit!